Dusk
by Eyes for Eternity
Summary: Renesmee's in trouble. The Volturi want her and Alice in the Guard. Luke, a friend of James, wants to take her life to avenge James, Victoria, and Laurent. On top of it all, Jane is at an all time hate for Nessie. Breaking Dawn. Review! Enjoy! Thanks!
1. Dusk

Dusk

In the state of Washington, there lies a town. It's very low population leads to the fact that everyone knows everyone else there. It gets too much rain, some would say, and is under the nearly constant cover of clouds. This town is Forks. In Forks, two clans of special creatures live. First is the Cullens. These are some of the most brutal creatures in this world. Or they could very easily turn into them. Their pale skin, impossible abilities, and strange ways would prove what they were to anyone who believed in the impossible. Then there are the Quileutes. This population is supposedly the "protectors" from the Cullens. Or so legend says. Their favorite time could be considered midnight on a full moon. Their favorite animals would probably be anything in the canine category. And of course the regular humans live here too. Then there's me. The one stuck in the middle of all of it. The hybrid. The freak. The "demon baby" as the Vulturi once related to me as. The half vampire, half human prodigy. Who most of the werewolves care about too. It's a long story, and most of the "in the know" people already know it by heart. Short version, is that I was conceived by my vampire dad and my human mom. Now don't go off worrying because my mom's not a vampire, in extreme danger, blah, blah, blah. Because she is. How is this possible, you ask? Simple: my mom and dad…er… uh, did it, before my mom was changed. I'm kinda confused by it too, so yeah. They chose Alice and Jasper for my godparents, though I'm not sure why. Nothing will ever give a reason for me to have to live with them. Since all of us will live forever. Technically, Carlisle is still hypothesizing on that, seeing as I'm only half vampire. But so far I have the beauty, strength, speed, and mind reading (from Dad) that , excluding that last one, all vampires have. But if anyone will be able to confirm that, it's Carlisle. Let's take a trip through my family. First, my human family. Renee, my mom's mom. Nice lady, I think. Charlie, my mom's dad. He still lives here, that's why Mom and Dad never leave the house, or if they do, it's just for hunting, or special occasions. I've never met either of them. I'm never allowed to. Now my vamp family. Carlisle, Dad's father. He's a doctor here, and the strongest in the family, as far as thirst. Then Esme, Daddy's mom. She's one of the nicest people in our family. Then Aunt Alice, probably the only nicer person. She's always so spunky, optimistic. Completely unlike my mom, especially how much she loves to shop. She's married to Uncle Jasper. Uncle Jazz is nice. He's really quiet, and next to me, the only one who still has to perfect the vegetarian lifestyle. Then there's Auntie Rosalie. She's probably the most pretty one in the family. She's kind of self centered, unless it has anything to do with me. Mom said Rosalie used to hate her until I was born. Aunt Rosie is married to Uncle Emmett. Emmett is like a big brother to me. Apparently, he's the strongest one in the family, strength wise. Another vamp clan, the Denali, is pretty close to us. They're the only other vegetarians we know of. Then is the werewolf family. Not blood relatives, but considered that all the same. There are quite a few of them, but the most important, in my opinion, is Jacob. He's my best friend. And just like a brother, too. Well, that's pretty much it, I think.


	2. Waking on the Break of Dawn

Waking on the Break of Dawn

I pulled myself out of the backseat of the yellow car. I wasn't looking forward to this, for it was exactly the opposite of what Mom wanted for me. To have to run away from our kind like she had to do. Alice tossed me my sunglasses- mandatory thanks to my unusual eyes- and I caught them with ease. My eyes were brown, yes, but still had one trait of a vampire. When I was thirsty, they changed not black, but a bright, vibrant blue. And I hadn't hunted in weeks. We walked under the archway and into the Italian hotel. I, of course, surprised all who looked my way. I was carrying all three of my heavy bags with no assistance. They gawked at my strength, compared to my miniscule size. Alice walked up and spoke Italian to the desk attendant.

"One room please, least expensive as possible," she muttered quickly to the black haired woman, but apparently slowly enough to understand. Jasper took one of the keys and tossed it to me. I caught it perfectly in my teeth, as my hands were full. We walked up to the room.

Opening the door, I couldn't imagine how this could've been the least expensive room possible. I knew the reason why we'd been cutting back on expenses lately. Kind of pathetic, I think. The Volturi had somehow been hacking into all of our accounts, withdrawing all the money. They left us with a mere fifty-thousand dollars. Yes, that really is the least amount the Cullens have ever possessed. But this room looked absolutely exquisite! The bedposts perfectly carved to detail, the wallpaper had exact illustrations. Even the cherry wood floors looked perfect, the reddish brown color even throughout the boards. I tossed my bags onto one of the beds, and flung myself onto the other. The softness of the bed was unexplainable. It was firm, but felt like lying on a cloud at the same time. I was totally savoring the moment. Until the buzzing of my phone snapped me out of my daze. It was Jacob.

"Hey, Jake. What's up?" I asked through the receiver.

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering if you guys were settled yet. Alice got some big fancy hotel, didn't she?" he replied.

"Yeah. But it's also Italy, all the hotels are fancy here. You guys catch Luke yet?" I asked. Luke. The name made me flinch at the thought. Let me explain. I'm the demon child, right? Half vampire. But also half human. Luke, a friend of James, had heard. He also knew how Dad had killed James and Victoria. And apparently he wanted revenge. I didn't like this, but that was also why we were running. It wasn't all about the Volturi. Luke was a tracker. And guess who he was tracking? Harder than my mom had been. More heavily protected. More special. It was me. Oh, but Luke wasn't alone. He had stolen Victoria's idea, but made it a thousand times more efficient. He was creating an army. And he was training them.

It took a moment for Jacob to respond to that.

"No, Ness, we…we can't even pick up the trail. He disappeared, and there aren't even any crime reports here to give us a clue. They've stopped biting. Listen, Nessie, can you put Jasper on? He's the expert on this stuff," my beloved big brother said. I think there was more before I handed it to Jazzy, but I couldn't hear it through my tears. Alice was holding me and trying to comfort me, and I hoped Jasper would help some time soon. But he was rushing around, starting to pack up his stuff, where it was just beginning to get unpacked. Alice was too confused by this, and she left me to figure out what was going on. Jasper tossed my phone back to me.

"Alice, we won't be staying for a week as planned. We're leaving Italy tomorrow," he said.

"Explain," she said simply. But I couldn't listen to the reasons. My life had been fairly complicated as far as people hunting me, so I was done hearing why I was such a magnet for hatred. I just started packing up my stuff. Alice ordered some mushroom ravioli for me. There was some significance behind that food, other than it being my favorite, but I couldn't figure out what.

When the waiter came to our room, I took the food and ate it quickly. Then I drifted off to my own little dream world. The rest of my family had always been jealous of me as far as sleep, all because I could dream. I didn't see why, it wasn't that great. Just natural. I knew that a nightmare would go on forever. A strange thing not many know about me: once I fall asleep, I can't wake up on my own. Someone has to wake me up. So once the dream started, it wouldn't end easily.

It started with the Volturi. I saw them walking through the streets, toward me. But this wasn't Italy, or home. Judging by the language on the billboards, this was either China or Japan. They kept walking, and stopped. Then, from in between gentle Aro and demented Caius walked my one sworn enemy. Jane. I reached out for Alice's hand, but couldn't find it. I kept searching, but knew I'd have to live through this nightmare alone. No one was there to wake me up.


	3. All Starting a Dream

**All Starting a Dream**

**She walked closer, smiling her evil little grin. I could see the concentration progressing on her face, but nothing was happening quite yet. I was waiting, and beginning to get pretty bored. Shouldn't I be dead, burning by now? And then it began. The searing pain shot through my head, and I fell to the hard pavement. It had to be at least ten minutes or so of that torture. Then, suddenly, it dulled. Not like it was stopping, but as if it were being pulled away. Pulled away very slowly. And then, when Caius pulled out the little metal lighter, I heard the scream and growl. I spun around to see who it was, but I already knew. Jacob would be there, and so would Rosalie. I turned to face them.**

**But where were they? The only creatures there were two vampires. Two vampires I hadn't seen in two years. Two vampires, I'd never be able to see again in my life (or existence, I should say). Mom and Dad.**

**The second I saw them, I knew it had to be a dream. Ever since the Volturi forced them into their guard, I had only heard about once a month from them, if even that. And it was only letters. No, I can't say that. They weren't letters, they were notes. Or just messages they made sure Alice saw. I hadn't seen their faces since forever. I could barely remember who they were. But I could see them clear as crystal right now. I knew that we had to get out of Italy sooner than tomorrow, because having the same dreams suddenly change one night never means anything good. **

**One of the best things about how clumsy my mother was as a human: I inherited her sleep-talking. But I could control what I said subconsciously. I called out to Alice to make her wake me up, because the dream had to mean something that had slipped through her vision. But then Jane's infliction began again. When I turned, expecting Mom and Dad to be there, it was simply a dark alleyway. I turned back, only to see them on either side of her. Siding with Jane.**

**A cold hand interrupted the pain. My eyes shot open, I could feel it. But my vision was still hazy from sleep. **

"**Alice, we need to go," I told her simply.**

"**Ness, we know. We're heading to Hong Kong toda-" she tried, but I didn't let her finish.**

"**No, Japan and China are out of the question. We need to be as far away from there as possible." Her face looked utterly confused. So I explained my dream. **

"**We have to leave. Now. Jazz!" Alice yelled across the massive suite.**

"**What? Well, we can at least spend the day in Venice. Just start packing up," he replied. **

"**No, Jasper. Get all the stuff together. We have to get out of Italy now. The Volturi must know we're here. Renesmee's dream slipped through my vision. Let's go," she said urgently. He stared in shock at first, but then came to his senses and packed even faster.**

**When we got out of the car at the McDonald's, I was completely tense and ready to fight. It was kind of stupid. I got a measly little cheeseburger happy meal, hardly nourishing compared to blood. But Alice and Jasper had to suffer too, so it wasn't way too bad. We left about five minutes later. **

**The yellow Porsche's black leather interior got really hot, really fast. I had to sit on a jacket to keep from burning my legs. I had gotten really bored after the first hour, so settled for reading my five-hundred page novel. **_**The Host was even beginning to get dull to me. After twenty pages, I just let myself fall asleep.**_

"_**Nessie! Ness! Renesmee Carlie Cullen wake up already!" Alice can be very persuasive when trying to wake someone up. Then my phone buzzed. **_

"_**Hey Jacob, what's going on now?" I asked.**_

"_**Well, really good news actually. We caught the trail, but they're really far away. They're in Asia by now, maybe only as far as Europe though. You guys need to get back home soon," he explained.**_

"_**What? Jake, we're just in Russia now, it'll take forever to get all the way home! Even with a vampire driving…" I trailed off. I knew that we were cornered. Luke had one side, the Volturi had us on the other. I was destined to die. Or just be forced into a life of servitude to the Volturi of course, but they didn't have a newborn army on their side. Then the tears started again. Jasper took my cell phone and started talking strategy. I eventually cried myself to sleep.**_


	4. Questioning Fate

**Questioning Fate**

**When I woke up, the car was moving swiftly through the dark. I looked ahead, but still saw nothing but night. I looked at my phone to see what time was, and there were three messages waiting. I checked the most recent one. It was from Jacob. Apparently, they had a really good lead. But something had gone wrong, and we needed to get back home soon. Then my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The road was surrounded by a thick curtain of foliage. It seemed a lot like Washington. I figured it was only a matter of time before we'd be back. Only hours separated me from Jacob. I'd only seen him about a month ago. It was probably killing him more that it was me. Especially with the whole imprinting thing. I still found that a little weird, but I did love Jake. But more like a brother, or a dog I'd had my whole life. I think the dog theory might be more accurate. **

**Once I woke up again, I was in my bed in the little cottage near the Cullen house. I looked around my room. Some dust was collecting on the dresser. It'd been a few months since I'd really spent any time here. Some stuffed animals were strewn across the purple carpet. A little bag was hung around the bedpost. It looked pretty stuffed up. I hopped off the mattress to see what was in it. I pulled a zipper and undid some Velcro. Then I saw all the paper. A few wads of hundred dollar bills. Two birth certificates. Two passports. One drivers license. Two notes scribbled on Esme's good stationary. I remembered the day all too clearly. I threw the bag and it's contents to the corner of the room and tried to forget the first day fate chose to be a jerk to me. I hear some voices coming from the living room. I still hadn't completely snapped out of sleep mode, so I couldn't tell who it was. **

**When I walked out to the main room of the house, I saw who was here. Jasper, Alice, Rosalie…and Jacob. The second I saw him, I instinctively ran to hug him. When he saw me, he held his arms out for me to join them. I hopped on his lap and he kissed my forehead. Then Rosalie reached over to hug me. I could see both of them hold their breath as she did that- neither of them could stand the smell of the other when it was too strong. It kind of disappointed me. It's been a year, at least, since the werewolves unofficially became part of the family. **

"**How are we going to hide her?" That was Jacob.**

"**Hey, they're after us too. Well, me. How are **_**we going to hide?" Alice.**_

"_**Okay, well same question. How are the fugitives going to hide. We have two armies after them now." Jake again. By then I was panicking. In my mind, that is. I had made the mistake of having my arms around Jake's neck though, and, but I pulled back too late.**_

"_**Nessie, you'll be fine. We'll figure this out, okay?' Of course he saw my panic. Well, by then I was sobbing. And soaking his arm. He pulled my face into his chest and attempted to comfort me. But I had known for way too long that I only had so much time left. Only so long. I had pretty much soaked the whole front of his shirt by now. When I cry, it takes a lot of energy out of me. I was almost asleep by then, too. Apparently he saw that too, and walked me back into my room. He set me down by my pillow, and he sat at the foot of the bed. **_

"_**Everything is fine. You'll be okay. Right?" it was a simple question, but it was impossible to come up with a simple answer. I just nodded my head, and he tucked me under the thick quilt. He walked out, ducking under the doorframe. Then I started crying again, but only for a little bit before I was out.**_


	5. Never Dying

**Never Dying**

**I woke up in the yellow Porsche, looking up at Jacob's alert face. He looked like he was worried, waiting for something bad to happen. He looked this way a lot these days. He helped me straighten up when he saw I was awake. I was sore from the position I was sleeping in the backseat. I hadn't realized it was so freezing. I just then looked outside, and all I could see were snow-capped pine trees. I had a jacket on, but it wasn't very warm. So I, by instincts alone, leaned into Jake's chest. He put his arm around my shoulders when he saw my teeth chattering.**

"**Finally up, are we sunshine?" Alice said from the driver's seat. **

"**D-d-don't y-you th-th-th-think it's w-wr-wrong t-to c-call a v-v-v-vampire s-s-sunshine?" I muttered. The laugh after that came out wrong. I was too cold to make a good one come out. Everyone else's laughs were perfect though. Being half human sure had it's disadvantages. I started to pull the jacket tighter, but Jake beat me to it. **

"**S-so, where are w-we r-run-n-ning off to t-today?" I asked. Just felt like planning my little vacation to a foreign country in advance.**

"**Russia," Alice answered simply. I thought about it. I couldn't really come up with something way too exciting to do there. Lot's of museums, I guess. Some big fancy palaces, maybe. I would probably spend the remainder of the time sleeping, though. **_**I would always need the energy if we were forced to run. **_

"_**What's in Russia?" I asked, but I was pretty sure I had a good idea. Vampires who would help us.**_

"…_**Emmett and Carlisle. And the real werewolves Caius is so afraid of," Jasper said. That confused me.**_

"_**Why? And what about the real werewolves?" **_

"_**Ness, we can't run anymore. Luke's the most dangerous right now, so we can't avoid the Volturi . We have to…join them," Alice said.**_

"_**What about the werewolves then?" I couldn't see how any "real" werewolves would help us in joining the Royals.**_

"_**The Volturi have become…frustrated. They might be angry with us, and we aren't taking chances. The pack of werewolves is from another Indian-like tribe. That tribe is related to the Quileutes. They'll be there in case the Volturi are angrier than we thought. Nessie, we aren't taking any chances here. You'll have to join the them," Alice said. Then, it finally hit me. Mom and Dad. I hadn't thought of them much for awhile. But now I'd get to join them. **_

"…_**What about Carlisle? And Emmett and Esme? They don't have any powers, so where'll they go?" That was what worried me the most. Not that I'd have to work with Satan herself (I refused to say her real name). Not that doing this might put all of the Volturi in danger as well. But that the rest- the ones the royals didn't want -would die. I could imagine Aro insisting on letting Carlisle stay, but what if we couldn't convince them to take the others as well?**_

"_**That's what we're trying to figure out. If we can make a deal, all of us or nothing, it should be fine. But…if we can't…" she trailed off. **_

"_**Wait," I muttered, for this had just come to my attention, "Where's Rosalie?"**_

"_**Until we can be sure that Luke is dead…we can't take our eyes off him. He's biting again. And you're scent leads to Charlie's house too," Jasper said. **_

"_**Oh." **_

"_**So when are we headed to Italy?" I asked.**_

"_**When we pick up Carlisle and Emmett, and Esme's with them too. The werewolves will be on the outskirts of Volterra, if they agree to help. But we pretty much-" I cut her off.**_

"_**What's Jacob gonna do." I didn't say it as a question, but as a statement of grief. **_

"_**Ness-" I cut her off again.**_

"_**You…you can't expect him to just go home, can you? He- he's not- where-" I couldn't put the sentence together right. **_

"_**That's the other thing we're trying to work out. There's no chance he'll even be allowed to live in city limits. Visit, possibly. But we still…we haven't worked that out yet." Alice seemed to be the only one talking, but the only person I was aware of being in the car was Jacob. I realized how much it would hurt me if he had to leave. But it would hurt him five times worse. And that's putting it lightly.**_


	6. Foreign

Foreign

I was beginning to get used to the routine. Pretty simple. Wake up. Leave hotel. Head to some different country in the next five hours. Repeat. There wasn't much interesting about my life right now. But today, I was preparing for a possibly pleasant change. Or an unpleasant change. Just some variation from my regular day.

We pulled up to a little village in the depths of the forest. Russia sure had impressive forests. Even thicker than Forks. Home. We were never going to see that huge white mansion again. Or the little stone cottage. Or- no, I didn't want to think of that. Of my family. Of the rest of the werewolves. Of the rest of the humans to which I'd become attached. I tried to see the brighter side of this. I'd see Mom and Dad again. But I'd be forced to cooperate with the Volturi- and Jane- to earn that privilege. We'd all finally be free from harm. But some of us might not be allowed to come. I could find a punishment to every upside of this situation. It was officially going to become a living hell. Unless they decided to kill us instead of take us in. But I'd be in hell either way.

An Indian man walked to the car; he looked nice enough. Carlisle and Emmet were on either side of him. Esme followed close behind.

"Hello," the man said, "You may call me Blackwater." I hated hearing that. It sounded just like another family I longed to see again. I couldn't bring myself to be able to stand seeing their faces in my mind.

"We are honored you have come to us for help," he continued, "And we are sorry you have come out of your way to get here. We realize our sister tribe is in danger, but sadly, we are not able to help. We apologize. Please understand." I didn't think we'd need any help. The plan was for the Volturi to accept us.

"Thank you, Blackwater, we fully understand. Thank you for considering, though. We truly appreciate it." Carlisle must have a gift with making treaties or something.

"Good luck," Blackwater muttered. He turned and walked away. I hadn't realized the Volvo was here as well until the others began piling into it. Esme came up and pulled me into a tight embrace, if that's considered the correct wording. She said nothing, just hugged me a while longer and then set me back in the seat. I could never really think of Carlisle and Esme as grandparents. I guess you had to have the signature grey hair and wrinkly skin to truly fit the profile. They could never hit that mark. No one I knew could. Well, actually, a lot of people I knew could- and it was inevitable that they would. The _majority _of people- although _people _would be the wrong term- would never age. Ever. I would. For about five years. Then it would stop. That's assuming I get to live for another five years.

We had gotten past the Russian border about five minutes ago. I wasn't sure what country we were in now. Italy was a few hours away. Hours. I never wanted to pick up the driving habits of a vampire. Eighty miles per hour was generally all I could ever see myself driving. But it was a pretty efficient method of transportation- one-fifty MPH. You could get across the U.S. in under a day if you were riding with the Cullens. Of course I'd never be able to be completely sure of that, now that I'd be living in Italy…

Maybe that could be proven. We'd gotten to the Italian border about an hour after leaving the Russian village. Volterra was relatively close. Only a few hundred miles left. An hour or so.

"Hey Ness, you okay? You haven't talked since-"

"Yeah I'm fine." They usually shouldn't have been worried about my talking. They should have been worried because I hadn't _communicated _since we left Russia. I always felt the need to point out the difference.

We came up on Volterra shortly. It was a beautiful city. Looked distinctly Italian. The wall around the city limits I wasn't expecting, but I figured I'd better get used to my new home.

"Renesmee, we're going to stay at a hotel for tonight and head to the palace tomorrow. Is that okay?" Jasper hadn't talked much either.

"Yeah, I don't mind. I'm getting kind of hungry too."

"We'll order something when we get to the room." The car slowed as we entered the gates. The city was even bigger looking here. We drove to the hotel, which was actually relatively small. It was smaller than the one I had been in just weeks ago. The lobby was full. But there was something strange about the residents. And the staff. They didn't look as tanned as most of Volterra's citizens- and tourists- did. In fact, they looked positively marble. I shouldn't be surprised by this, but the only vampires I'd seen and been able to remember were my family. Seeing others was just somewhat strange…especially their eyes. I was used to golden. But these…were bright red. Just like their food.

The room was smaller as well. One bed.

"Where'll Jacob slee-" But he wasn't there.

"Where'd Jake go?"

"Renesmee, this is kind of a…vampires only hotel. Jacob would be in too much danger here. Carlisle went to get him a room at a normal hotel. Plus having a half human here is dangerous enough, having double the scent would give us away too easily. The woman at the desk could probably smell you alone a mile away," Alice explained. I plopped myself onto the bed. It smelled sweet. The signature vampire sweet. The phone was just across the bedside table, along with the room service menu.

"What do you want to eat?" Alice questioned.

"Ravioli." She should have guessed that. She dialed the number to the front desk on the phone, and ordered.

The food tasted bland. Flavorless. Nothing compared to blood. Speaking of which.

"Alice, can we go and hunt soon? I'm perishing of thirst."

"Ness, _we _might perish of thirst, but human food supplements _you fine. I am getting pretty thirsty as well, though. Maybe after we meet with the Volturi," she said. Then a knock at the door made me jump. Carlisle, Esme, and Emmett walked through the door. I ran up to Emmett to hug him. We didn't exactly get to have a good reunion before. Everyone said hello and walked over to the couch. It was a pretty classic setup, I guess. Esme was on one end, then Emmett, then Jasper. Alice was sitting in front of the sofa with her head resting on Jasper's knees. Carlisle was standing near the door, on the phone with someone. "Hello, Gianna. Is there any chance we could get in to see Aro any time soon? Tomorrow if the time is open," he said into the receiver._

"_Wow, they haven't killed her yet. She must be pretty special," Emmett muttered. I could hear Alice's hand smack against his granite skin right after he finished. _

"_Yes, ten would be perfect. Thank you," he finished, and hung up. Then he continued, " Alice, maybe you should take her to say goodbye to Jacob…" _

"_What?" I was dumbfounded. I'd never known a life without Jake. Everyone else had even grown to love him. He was family._

"_Nessie, he's getting a plane home tomorrow morning. He can't live in Italy with us, especially with Volterra being the vampire capitol of the world. It's not safe," I couldn't believe it was happy-go-lucky Alice who had said it. The tone was too grave, too full of sorrow. I'd never heard it matched with her before. _

"_Renesmee, why don't you get some sleep, sweetie. We must get to the castle early tomorrow," Esme suggested. She rose to help me into bed as I nodded lightly. I was more tired than I thought. _

"_Goodnight, Ness," Emmett muttered. I couldn't believe it. For once, his voice wasn't joking. Or flat out playful. That would give me something to dream about. And that's exactly what happened that night._


	7. Acceptance

Acceptance

I woke up to see the light streaming through the window onto the sheets. Alice skipped over to the bed and handed me a plate of cinnamon rolls. They were sweet, but had a slightly bitter aftertaste. From the cinnamon.

"Come on, Ness. We gotta go," Alice said. She was the only other one in the room.

"Where are the others?"

"They're out finishing up some preparations. Come on!" She was practically yanking me off the mattress. I looked at the clock. Only 8:30.

"Alice, we're going to the Volturi at ten. It's only eight-thirty. I can sleep another half-hour," I muttered, turning my face back into the pillow.

"Not if you're planning on seeing Jacob! His flight leaves at nine-fifteen!" she said as she pulled the covers back. That had gotten my attention. Jake.

"I'm up!" I said as I spun out of bed and across the room to my duffel bag. I pulled out a green sundress and tossed it on. Alice came over to help "perfect" my outfit. Sometimes I wonder why she doesn't just work as a fashion designer in Milan. I pulled my sneakers on and walked out the door. Alice followed me out to the car. We started on the road to the airport.

"We're here, sleeping beauty."

"Huh? What?" I muttered.

"Just come on," she said. We got out of the car and walked to the main building. The lobby was full, but it was easy to see Jacob's tall form. I ran up and jumped to his arms.

"Hey, Nessie. Finally come to say goodbye, did you?" he said. I sobbed into his t-shirt and reached my hand up to his cheek.

"Ness, it's okay. I'll come to visit if I can. We'll be fine at home. This is what we need to do to protect you. Besides, you're lucky. _You get to live in Italy._ I'm stuck in plain old Washington. It's okay," he said. The option of comforting me was gone when Luke started tracking us. But it was nice, anyway.

"Say hi to everyone on the reservation," I muttered. They were the only ones we were allowed contact. They knew what was happening.

"And Claire. Tell her bye for me," I added. I guess once you've been imprinted on you bond with others of your kind…

"Flight's almost here, Ness. You'd better get going. It's a half-hour till you have to get to the castle," he said, setting me back on the ground.

"Bye Jake," I said through my sobs, as if the message hadn't been put through.

"Bye Ness. Love you," he said, and wiped a tear off my cheek.

"Love you too," I said, as I turned back to Alice. She walked up and they both hugged for a second. Then they both pulled back quickly. Neither could stand the smell of the other for too long. We waved a final goodbye, and then Alice and I headed out to the car. The plane had just pulled down to the runway.

We met with the others at the entrance to the office. Rosalie had come down, once the wolves were able to handle things in Forks. Two minutes were spent on that reunion. Then we headed into the office. It wasn't what I'd expected. When they called it a castle, I'd thought of cold dark hallways and stone dungeons. This looked like any regular business building. There was a nice woman at the desk.

"Morning, Laura. We have an appointment for ten. With the Volturi," Carlisle said to the receptionist. I saw some people give utterly confused expressions when he said "Volturi". Apparently humans used the office as well. Humans that had no clue that vampires exist. Humans that could very well be next. The lady directed us to a plain wooden door across the lobby. Carlisle led us through. We came into a chamber area, empty besides a torch nailed to the far wall. This was more what I was expecting. Brick dungeons. Yeah, this fit the description.

"Felix! It's been too long," Carlisle said.

"Quite, yes. When was it last? Oh, when Edward had that suicide attempt, wasn't it. Well, he seems content now. Come, come. Aro is expecting you," Felix said. He led us through another door. Now my expectations were fulfilling. We entered a large stone room, with three wooden thrones at the head of the chamber. A line of dark grey cloaks lined up from the seats. And three black cloaks sat in them. When we were in the middle of the room, the vampires became alert. I saw one, on the end of the line, begin to walk out. But another pale hand held them back. Then I saw Jane. She stood near the thrones, maybe two spots away. She had pulled her hood back, and was smirking at me. I growled back at her. We were both ready for a fight, but then the person on the middle seat rose and came to greet us.

"Aro! How have you been here?" Carlisle inquired.

"Quite well, good friend. Of course there were some adjustments to make with the new additions, but they've been quite mild-tempered with all this. We've been getting along fine," Aro said, and nodded back to the end of the line. He looked kind of familiar to me. I didn't know where from though.

"We did have a little controversy when Irina was brought up, but we've settled that matter quite well." That brought it back. The meadow. The army. The insane amount of vampires set on killing me. I screamed, and it was quite earsplitting, as I stepped behind Alice, peeking my head around her stomach. I set my hand on her arm to tell her we needed to leave.

"Renesmee, we are not leaving. No, they don't want to kill you anymore- I don't think they do," she said as she sent a questioning glance at Aro.

"Oh, and Renesmee as well! What a grand visit this is Carlisle!" Aro said again. This didn't frighten me. Jane was glaring at me again, and appeared to be concentrating. And getting frustrated. I growled at her.

"Oh, Jane. The Cullens are our friends! Do not harm them, so that Bella is not forced to use her shield for no reason. Now would you mind acquainting our guests instead of attacking them, hmm?" Aro seemed to be more pleasant than I remembered him as.

"Now, why don't we have little Renesmee come meet Jane, shall we?" I just stepped away from Alice to align with my worst enemy. It was pretty much a stare down from there. And a lot of growling, crouching, and snarling from both of us. I wanted to fight her, and I was ready. By the time Aro broke the little showdown, she looked about to have an emotional breakdown. That made me smirk.

"Now, girls, can we play nice?" he asked. That was it. The only thing we had in common. We both broke out laughing like idiots. Like we could really "play nice". Jane and I. Really, it went on for five minutes, at least.

"Would that be a yes or a no?" Alice asked. They were all genuinely confused. Probably because in between laughs, were the most evil glares we could manage to shoot at each other.

"No!" we said in unison, the laughter finally dying down.

"Hmm. Jasper, do you mind?" Aro asked.

"Not at all, sir," Jazz replied. He stared at us for a second, and I didn't feel any extreme hate for the demon in front of me. It only lasted a second though. Then the hate was back, but the need to fight was gone. It looked like something was about to happen, but was interrupted by surprise when Alice's face went completely blank.

"Alice!" Jasper said as he ran over to her. He tried talking to her, snapping her out of it, but she just stared blankly at the wall.

"No!" she screamed.

"Alice, what did you see?" Jasper asked. She was shaking, but frozen to the spot.

"H-he wanted to make sure I saw it. H-he had a message straight to me. He's coming. But the army is too big."

"How many?" Emmett said, "Twenty? Twenty-five? This should be fun."

"No. Sixty," she said.

"God! Why does this keep happening!" I yelled to no one in particular. That's when everyone switched their attention from Alice.

"First I practically kill my own mother before I'm even born, then I cause a war, now what? I cause the death of the royal vampire coven? Or does he only want my family? Why am I even alive!" I stormed out of the room and into the other chamber. Felix was still at the door into the lobby, so he tried to block my exit. Until the surprisingly fierce growl that escaped my teeth made him back away. I think they were all in shock, because no one had come to retrieve me yet. I headed out of the building and into the shady alleys. I set my phone on silent in case they tried to call me. Then I ran.

I got out of the gate and headed into the forest. They really must be in shock. I tried to pick up a scent, because I was still thirsty. All I could tell was a small group of deer. So bland. I'd have to suffice, though. I followed it as far as I could, until it stopped. I jumped, and brought one down as the others took off. I drained the one kill, but was too tired to pursue the others. I couldn't' decide what to do. I wanted to go find Luke and just beg him to kill me. At least someone's pleasure would come out of my life. But I couldn't. I knew it would hurt Jake. He'd probably kill himself. The whole point of this was for me to die so that no one else had to. But I knew it couldn't work out that way.


	8. Running

Running

I didn't know where I was going. Just running until I drained my energy. From there I'd probably just have to wait for Luke to find me. Pretty simple. But too complicated to fathom. I sped up, and the foliage turned into swirling green mist around me. Never knew how fast I'd be. Never tried. I stopped short when I smelled it. Vampire scent. But it wasn't Luke. _Crap,_ I thought. Alice would've been able to find the path that disappeared in a heartbeat. I was toast. But decided to take the opportunity to run before I met with them. It took about ten seconds after that for Alice to tackle me. She slammed into my back and pinned me down as a deafening _thud _rang through the trees. But when we came to a stop, it wasn't Alice. It was Jane.

"Okay, half-breed. Let's have a little fight, you and me. Make it fair, no powers. I won't use my mind, and you won't use whatever it is you have. Mind reading, shields, none of it. Raw strength," she said through gritted teeth. I nodded through a scowl.She let me up so we could do this the professional way, but more like someone would get her for it if she went back on her word of a "fair fight". We circled for a moment, then it was fast. I leaped at her small body from five feet away, snarling. She growled, and tried to kick me off. I had a good grip though. I clawed and punched, Jane did the same. It was anyone's win now. She finally pinned me to the ground, and I kicked her in the gut hard enough to fling her off. Then we both pounced again. The clawing, snarling, and punching continued, and it was almost clear who was gonna come out saf-

"STOP!" A firm voice commanded. We both saw him, then sped back against a few trees. I shot a panicked look at her, and she looked just as frightened. This was a first. Sympathy for Jane. What had the world come to?

"There will be no tolerance for fighting with allies. This feud will end, here and now. Comprehend the message, ladies?" I'd never known Aro could be so…harsh. It sent me into shock. But Jane and I nodded silently. We didn't move from our spots, though.

"Now, can we head back to the castle _peacefully_?" he asked. We nodded again and followed the rest of the group back to the palace.

"A crisis is at hand, and you choose to begin a fight, Jane? I am very unimpressed. Renesmee has been a friend to us for over a year now, and neither of you have come up with a solution to this problem yet? Such disappointment. This is to end, now. What is the problem, anyway? I see nothing to separate you two like this," Aro said. Neither of us answered. Neither of us knew.

"Well? Why do you two hate each other so?" he asked. We fidgeted.

"So this whole thing has been going on for no reason, has it? Well? I do expect an answer from you, especially Jane," he said, and I knew this would go on for a while.

"I…I don't know why we fight, master," she answered dutifully. It took all the will I had to keep from bursting out laughing. _Master_? Are you kidding me? Maybe I'd just go live in Forks again, because I wasn't staying here if they expected to be called _master_.

"Jane, the Cullens have come to us in their time of need, and I fully intend on welcoming them into the guard. Including Renesmee. I will have to see to it that you will be ranked down if you cannot control yourself. Now are you prepared to take that risk, girl?" he asked, a hard expression on his face.

"No, master." I almost cracked that time, "I will respect Renesmee." The second part made me want to hurl. She looked at me innocently, an apologetic expression filling her flawless features. I'd take it now, but I hoped she didn't expect any full out niceness from me. I'd just avoid her most the time.

"Good. On with this, then. Bella, Edward?" Two grey cloaks stepped out from the end of the line. The same ones I'd noticed earlier. The one in front was the person who'd begun to walk out when we entered. The one behind had been the one to hold them back. They walked up to stand at Aro's side. I stared for a minute. I knew they couldn't be real. I was dreaming, that was it. No other reasonable explanation for this. My parents. My vampire parents. Who I hadn't seen in two years. Who I'd believed must have forgotten me when they began working with royalty. My parents, who would now, if this were real, be targets for Luke.

The second cloak laughed. Aro looked at him questionably. He pulled the hood back as he began his explanation. Dad.

"She believes this is a dream. That this experience can't be real," he chuckled again, "Oh, and that we'd forgotten her when we started working for royalty." Aro laughed, as did a few other of the ominously cloaked forms in the room.

"Child, where have you illustrated such ridiculous thoughts from?" Aro chuckled.

"From two years ago when you attempted to murder me for _completely_ unjustified reasons. Oh, and shall I forget the fact that you _did_ murder my family? The name _Irina _ring a bell? Hell, I'd suspected you'd brainwashed both my parents by now," I snapped back. I was _not_ in the mood for his oblivious interrogations at this moment.

"Oh, and the fact that if this were real, Luke would've killed me by now." Apparently no person had ever spoken to a Volturi like that before. 'Cause I was getting a lot of head turns and bugging eyes right about then. I simply crossed my arms and shifted my weight to my right leg. When Caius and Felix gave me looks that could probably literally kill, I just raised an eyebrow. They straightened. Then I realized how tense Alice was next to me. And the others, as well. _What had I done now?_ This was an utter suicide attempt, unless I truly thought we could win this fight. I ticked them off. They were going to kill me. _Just don't let Caius do the honors, please,_ I thought. Anyone but that demon. Dad straightened when he heard me think that. Even he probably hadn't forgiven that evil man. Then someone clapped. I looked up. It was, of all people, _Marcus_. He was applauding slowly. Everyone watched in shock.

"Grand performance, I must say," he said. I'd never heard his voice before. It was strange. Fluid, smooth. But somehow rough, grungy. I was bewildered. His voice was…still human, in a way. The others, Aro and Caius, their voices were precise and smooth. But his still sounded ever so slightly imperfect. Then he spoke again.

"Why, no one has taken a stand like that in _ages! I've been waiting for some individual rebellion to come along, just against one single act we pursue. But oh! Little Renesmee has the courage to stand up to a royal. Truly amazing. She would be quite an addition to the guard. Too bad we have to kill her," he said as he slowly shook his head in sorrow, as it appeared._


	9. Death is Slow

Death is Slow

Everyone simply stared, including Aro and Caius. Apparently it wasn't originally planned to kill me. But then again, he might just be thirsty. I was the easiest target, after all. Then he broke out laughing.

"Really, you believe Aro would allow me to murder the child? I really should work on my individual reputation, shouldn't I. I can make a joke, despite popular belief. Now, on with the actual debate, shall we?" Marcus said. Everyone was still in shock that he'd talked _out loud._ He hadn't talked much at all in the last five decades. Or was it a century?

"Well, it is quite shocking that Marcus of the Volturi spoke, isn't it? Now, we have all had our ten consecutive minutes of stare time. Shall we continue?" I said. That took most everyone out of their little daze.

"Yes, yes. Now. What was it you were explaining, Renesmee?" Aro asked. Even in that open head of his, he'd lost his train of thought.

"Oh, well now it _really_ has to be a dream, because Marcus actually talked. But for all intensive purposes, I'll trash that idea. I'm convinced this isn't a dream anymore. Now I think there was some sappy 'parents meeting their long-lost child' scene coming up, if I'm correct," I muttered. I wasn't looking forward to the sappy scene at all. Just to get it over with and concentrate on incinerating Luke.

"Right, right," Aro muttered, "Bella? Edward?" They walked forward carefully, as if any sudden movements might kill me. Dad laughed and picked up pace. Mom followed suit. They came to stand in front of me. I looked behind them at the Guard, most of whom had their hoods down. They all looked like forty-year-old cat ladies watching their soap operas-the episode where Bill breaks up with Angie, or Beth dumps Nate. Or some other combination of names. I swear, if it were possible, all of them would be crying tears of "joy".

Dad kneeled down to hug me. I set my hand on his cheek.

"We love you too, Nessie," he said in response. Next Mom came up. She really would've cried a river by now if possible. She leaned down to do the same. Just then I caught Rosalie's panicking expression. I knew exactly what she was so afraid of. My parents had been living with the Volturi. Therefore, they must've become accustomed to human blood. Straight from the source. I imagined that, and pulled away. Dad explained to my mom. She rolled her eyes and began some speech. I only heard a little bit.

"Okay, yes we have lived with the Volturi. _No_, we haven't adopted their forms of nourishment. We're still vegetarians, if that's what the proper term is. The forests around Volterra have a surprisingly large amount of wildlife. And even if we had switched, we'd still have enough self control not to consume our own_ daughter_, Rose." Then she continued on about something else. Dad had come back to hug me again.

"Ness, how long have you been spending with Jacob? You stink," he whispered. I giggled. Mom ended the speech, which I doubt anyone was listening to, and went to greet everyone else in the family she hadn't gotten to before. Then Dad froze for some reason, a hopeful look in his eyes. Alice stared off into one of her visions. I was the only one to notice either.

"Now?" Dad muttered.

"It would probably be best," Aro replied to the unspoken statement. Aro walked to the entryway and motioned for everyone else to follow. Jane was on his heels.

"Jane, I want only the most crucial of the guard. No more than five. Choose them and meet us at the clock tower." he told the girl. I followed Mom out of the chamber. Bright light greeted my unadjusted eyes. From behind us I could hear just a few people following. Five were there. Jane, Alec, Demetri, Chelsea, and Renata, if I had gotten the names right. Then I heard what we were doing.

"He has a newborn army, Aro. Newborns can be reasoned with, if they haven't been trained to hate too liberally. Luke would have been in such a hurry he'd of only spent time teaching them to fight, not the reasons why. He'll see her, tell them to attack. They'll know him as their teacher, and do as he asks. They won't know who she is or why they must kill her. We need to get to _him_ first, so they have no one to conduct their actions. It's quite simple," Dad said. I knew it. This had something to do with Luke.

"Quite good theory, Edward, but how can you be sure?" Aro asked.

"Edward! That was one of my visions! What did I tell you about how often they're _wrong_?" Alice yelled at him.

"Well, it sounds like something he'd do to me. Just like James. Too caught up in the murder to spend time considering technicalities. Of course we'd be coming for him, but he'd be too busy getting her weakened to notice. Heck, he might even make a video. Hey Alice, didn't you want to learn more about your parents?" He kind of chuckled with the last one. Alice gave the "looks can kill" theory a whole new set of proof.

We continued out into the sunlight. Well, some of us into the sunlight. Me, and the cloaked Volturi members. The others stayed hidden in the shadows and alleys. We were almost to the clock tower when Alice and Edward froze.

"No, stop!" Alice said, "They're here. Outside the city. Waiting. Get the rest of the guard, now! No time for preparations. Jazz, what should we do?"

"Are you sure they're here? Not coming?" he responded.

"Yes, they're already here."

"Well it should be safe inside the city. Luke would never take chances with the Volturi, even with his army… Wait, Alice, can you see him again? I can't believe we never saw that coming! He has sixty newborns. That's almost double what we have! He'll be thinking he can challenge us with those numbers! We have to catch him before he can reach the city," Jasper continued. I imagined it. Sixty vampires. Bloodthirsty. Loyal. Inexperienced. Lethal. I couldn't believe how calmly I had been taking the situation before. Of course, it seemed like nothing compared to the numbers of the Volturi when they had come to murder me. But I had been counting witnesses. I knew what I had to do. I was the only one who could. I was to be the distraction. The bait. The cheese in the trap.

"Alice, do you think Jacob left any clothes in your car? Or suitcases? Or anything at all that has been touched by him?" I asked.

"Why?" she countered.

"Werewolves smell terrible to you, right? That might give time to distract him. And I'll be perfectly safe, because they won't come near me if it's strong enough. Do you think we have something?"

"Renesmee, you will not be bait. Under any circumstances. End of story," Dad said.

"Yes. It _is_ end of story. Of _mine_ if this doesn't go well. I _will_ help with this, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. He's after _me._ This is _my_ fault. _I_ intend to repair the damage," I snapped back.

"Renesmee, if anyone's fault, it's mine. Any of James' friends would never be involved with this family if it weren't for me, and don't you tell me how I forgot you're story Alice," Mom said. Alice did look like she was about to say something, but then her face went blank.

"Hurry! It's not happening yet, but he's decided he'll come into the city if we don't come quick enough." I hadn't noticed, but we were about back to the castle by then. I took the liberty of running ahead into the castle to see how Jane was doing coordinating the Guard. I almost fainted when I got in the last set of doors.

Five newborns were in the main chamber. Attacking. One of them must've been a shield, because the Guard seemed completely helpless. And Jane was backed up against a wall, cornered by one of the merciless vampires. Looking frustrated. Apparently she couldn't attack the evil in front of her. I snarled and bared my teeth as I lunged towards it. The second I had it tackled Jane jumped in to help.

"Renesmee, go start a fire!" she yelled over the snarls and growls erupting throughout the room. She tossed me a small silver lighter and began tearing at the newborn.

"What, are these like, mandatory for all Guard members?" I mumbled humorously.

"This is no time for jokes! Get one of the thrones! Now!" she screamed. I sped across to the front of the room and began tearing at the right chair. When it was thoroughly in pieces, I lit the flame.

"I got it! Come on, burn them!" I yelled as she began tossing pieces into the blaze. It was _not_ a pretty sight. Somehow there were more vampires in the chamber. Ten, now. One was a few feet away, staring at me in confusion. It didn't attack.

"Are you waiting to attempt to kill me for some reason? Or is the murderer behind my back this time?" I asked her.

"No. But…you're a hybrid. Amazing. I couldn't see it possible," she said, "I'm Carrie."

"Are you…surrendering?" I asked. I'd expected to be forced to burn her by now.

"I guess that could be one conclusion. Or…just joining you," she answered. Without taking my eyes off her, I called Carlisle over.

"Carrie, if you truly intend to join us, you should speak to the Volturi. I cannot take power over the decision to let you live," he told her. She was directed to Aro, who looked fully welcoming. Suddenly Jane had taken power again. Carrie must've been their shield.

"Their shield joined us! The newborns are down!" I told everyone. All the army looked at the girl like she was a traitor. She sent a look of apology back at them. More of the creatures had come. Twenty by now. Thirty. All sixty of them. Did it really make a difference? We were already outnumbered. The Volturi already had a lot of work on their hands to come up with a cover story for this. Smoke and screams coming out of the castle in broad daylight. _Oh, it was just a full out attack from lethal vampires like ourselves. Nothing to worry about there, good townspeople of Volterra._ Ha. That'd pass easily.

A vampire pounced at me, and I ducked away last second. Then I ripped and burned it easily. I was paying too much attention to Jasper's fighting lectures.

All of the newborns had a match with a Volturi. Their numbers were dwindling. That was the problem. We'd destroyed maybe fifteen, and there were about five left. None were coming in to replace the burning ones.

"No. No, he's saving the army. The best. Stop! Alice, is he in the city?" I demanded.

"Are you blind, child? Look around you!" she replied while fighting off someone.

"Yeah, well I don't see Luke in this room! This is a diversion!" I yelled. Jasper seemed to catch my meaning. Just as a bloodcurdling shriek erupted from the city.


	10. Ten Seconds

Ten Seconds

"That answer your question?" Emmett asked. He seemed to be enjoying fighting. Wow, _that_ was sure a surprise. Ha.

"Alice, I need to get to your car," I said.

"Edward, don't expect me to drive that Porsche if there's vampire guts on the seats!" she yelled as we took off out of the castle.

We got to the car, and I instantly found what I was looking for. My jacket. The one that I wore most the time when I was in La Push. The one that hadn't been washed way too recently. _This had better work_, I thought as I pulled it on. Emmett was headed down to join us. He wouldn't miss being able to kick Luke's butt. The rest of the family was right behind him. Rethinking my idea, I grabbed my iPod and cell phone and threw them in the pockets. Music, especially if I could find some good Paramore, could be a really good inspiration to fight. And my phone in case I had to run.

"He's at the clock tower," Alice told us. The second I heard it I took off. I heard them calling after me, but didn't listen. I just ran.

When I reached the clock, there he was. Leaning against the brick. Looking as innocent as any other citizen. If you didn't count the blood dripping down his chin. Or how the granite that was his skin glittered in the bright sunlight. I approached. Quickly.

"Why do you want to kill me?" I asked simply.

"Oh, child. It's not as simple as a single reason to kill you," he replied. His voice was smooth and fluent.

"But it is."

"You have hundreds of years before you see the world as I-"

"I have hundreds of years on my conscience, thank you very much. Would you believe I'm only three years old, technically?" He probably wouldn't. I looked like a ten year old.

"Well, hybrids do age quickly, don't they?"

"Yes. But how would you understand, you leech?"

"I would understand better than you think, mor-"

"Don't you _dare_ call me mortal. Don't even try."

"Chi-"

"I have the intellect of an adult."

"What do you wish I call you then?"

"My name."

"And how exactly do you expect me to know that?"

"So, are you telling me you've tracked me down to kill me, worked up a complete newborn army, guaranteed the Volturi to destroy you, and don't even know my name?" He stepped forward a bit, but pulled back when a breeze flowed off my jacket.

"What is that stench?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing. Just werewolf." He looked at me with disgust. I just smiled.

"You associate with those _beasts_? They haven't killed you yet?" he said in surprise.

"No, actually, one imprinted on me."

"What is 'imprint'?"

"Oh, nothing. Just the easiest way to find a soul mate in the history of the supernatural world. Now are you going to get on with killing me or should I kill you first?"

"Oh, such a good point. I guess I should make it quick."

"You haven't answered my question."

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you going to kill me?"

"Two reasons, actually. The first, is to avenge James, Laurent, and Victoria. The second, is that you're a danger to our secrecy."

"A danger to our secrecy? Me, a _danger_ to our secrecy? Well excuse me for being observant, but you've created sixty newborns in the track of two, maybe three weeks. Not to mention that the whole city of Volterra will be killed for witnessing your little feeding session. Ha. And _I'm_ a danger."

"Fine then. I'll just do it to avenge them then…" He trailed off when I attacked him. It was easy. In the course of ten seconds, I had him torn apart. A violent process, yes, but necessary. All that was left was to burn him.


	11. Possibilities

Possibilities

Apparently the Volturi had the army under control, because the rest soon joined me. They came in quite a state of panic. Dad was first. He sprinted in and scooped me up before he saw the pile of gore. Then I couldn't help but laugh when he stared at me in such disbelief. I could do a lot of damage for my size. Mom came next. She looked just as surprised. She just kept looking back and forth between what used to be Luke, and me. Then she ran up to knock Dad out of whatever spell he seemed to be in. Rosalie came next, of course. She looked more panicky than my parents. Dad had told me later that she was only concerned I could have gotten killed in such a one-on-one fight with a two-hundred year old vampire. Ha. That fight was the easiest kill I could've managed. But people underestimate me a lot. Emmett and Jasper came then. Jasper looked pleased at how great I handled it. Emmett just looked kind of disappointed he didn't get to bash Luke out. He still high-fived me, though. Carlisle and Esme came in next. Mom and Dad let Carlisle check me over, just to be sure I was completely alright. I could've told them how Luke only fought back for about two seconds, or how the fight lasted ten seconds total. But I was feeling greedy, and let them be worried about me anyway.

Carlisle knocked my arm accidentally, and that's when I felt it begin to sting.

"Ouch!" I said.

"What hurts?" he asked.

"Just my arm. It kinda burns a little." He examined it more carefully. Everyone stared even harder when we all saw the two deep holes in my wrist.

"Not much of a problem. Venom shouldn't affect her," Alice said. I hadn't realized she'd joined us. She pranced over to where I was standing to help Carlisle.

"Just rinse it out, Alice," he said. She took a bottle of water and ran it over the wound. It stung for a second, but then the burning dulled. I couldn't really feel any pain anymore. Just felt normal.

"Shouldn't we burn Luke?" I asked.

"It does look like he's twitching." Emmett said.

"Anyone see any wood around? Or should we not bother to do that? Just burn the pieces," Jane said. Why she was here, I'd never know. She tossed the silver Volturi-issue lighter to Dad. He lit the flesh as a sweet, but toxic scent wafted through the air.

We walked back to the castle. The streets were empty. Windows shut, doors bolted. No doubt the good townspeople of Volterra knew monsters were thriving in the city. Of course they were frightened. And they had reason to be. With all those murdering, bloodsucking, violence-thirsting, evil…no, no, no. the Volturi could be good. Except for their diet.

The sewer passageways didn't look any different. But they felt so. The white waiting room was bright. Too bright. The world seemed in too happy a state for what war had just passed.

"What are you going to do about the citizens, Aro? _Oh, good townsfolk. Do not worry. It was all a dream. A dream all of you happened to have. At exactly the same time. Vampires? My, my. Mythical creatures, are they not? Just continue on with your everyday lives._" Caius said sarcastically. His Aro impression sucked.

"Dear brother, I fear there may be no explanation to give the public for these recent events. I have not come up with such a solution yet, by any case. I ask you save that matter for later, hmm?" Aro replied.

"Aro, we are deeply sorry we put your secrecy in danger with Renesmee, as well as the general trouble we've caused. We will take care to keep away from Volterra from now on. But we thank you for your help," Carlisle said.

"Why no, dear friend! This was no trouble at all. We helped when a friend was in need, nothing out of place. Do not regret coming," Aro said.

"Thank you," Dad said. It sounded like Carlisle and Jazz said it too, but I could only vaguely tell.

"I believe Jane had wished to speak to Renesmee alone, hadn't you, dear?" Aro said. Jane nodded slightly, embarrassed. Dad eyed her for a moment, then softened. The two of us, Jane and I, walked through the chamber and to a thick wooden door behind the thrones.

The room wasn't the torture chamber I had expected. It looked just like a practical little girls bedroom, minus the bed. A soft lavender loveseat was set in one corner. Two stuffed animals were sitting on a beanbag in another. Nearest the door was a desk, with a high-end laptop set on the edge. A jewelry box sat beside it.

Jane walked to the beanbag and began toying with a brown stuffed bear. It looked old and worn. I walked over to the sofa and sat down.

"So what exactly is it you want, if not to murder me?" I asked. It came out ruder than I intended.

"To apologize. I know the reason why Rosalie hated your mother. She was human. And Rose would never be. I guess that's why I dislike you some much. Not that I'm trying to be judgmental, but you have so much better a life. You can sleep, you can bleed. Eventually you'll be able to have kids, probably. You can live off of human food. We can never do any of it. We're stuck here forever. Stuck as murderers, as monsters. Someone, or something, in your family's case, will always get hurt for the sake of our well-being. Humans don't have to live with that necessity," she explained. I always knew the whole thing.

"Hey, I've had human blood before, and it is a LOT better that normal food. Even for me," I said. She stared at me speculatively.

"It was volunteered! From a werewolf! He'd of healed up in, like, five seconds anyway. It's not like I sucked anyone dry, or anything." That broke her stare. More into a look of disgust, though.

"Okay, I really don't care about how much you hate werewolves. Really. So just apology accepted, right?" I said, as I got up to leave.

"Wait!" she said before I reached the door.

"Okay, this probably sounds really tacky, but do you want to hear my story? Like, as far as the point of having a room goes?" I stared at her in amazement. I'd only heard her talk all professional, perfect articulation. Slang was new.

"I'm a teenager, just like you. The whole "oh, master this, master that" thing is just for show. And I don't really talk all old-timey like that," she explained. I sat back down on the sofa.

"Tell me I'm not wasting time hearing my mortal enemy's story, am I?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Are we really enemies anymore?" she countered. I'd been contemplating that too. She ignored my silence and continued.

"Well, actually, I remember about as much of my human life as Alice does. But I can tell you why I have the room. Okay, well, out of the whole guard, I handled the change the worst. I was in total depression for like, three months afterwards. Mostly because I couldn't ever be human again.

"Aro felt deeply sorry for how unhappy he had made me. So he did whatever he could to bring me back to the joyful state I had been in during my humanity. This was it. He went through and collected all the things that were once mine and brought them back. The stuffed animals were my favorite toys as a human child. The jewelry box has some of my mothers jewelry in it. That's really it," she finished.

"What about the laptop? I mean, of course internet could be entertaining when you can't sleep, but…" I trailed off.

"Actually, that's for email. I have a sister that's still alive, and a niece. I can keep contact with my niece, but never really see her."

"Oh," I replied. That reminded me so much of my situation. I couldn't see a lot of people, because the danger it'd put them in. Or how fast they'd notice change. Not to mention family would have to be there too, and they never change. Too obvious.

"So… that it?" I asked. It seemed like a good point to end this on.

"Well, yeah. But I really am sorry, Renesmee. Er…think we could be friends?" she asked. I thought about it for a bit.

"Maybe." It was the best answer I could think up. She nodded, then looked like she had an idea that would totally go out on a limb. She leaned over to the desk, and wrote something on a piece of paper. Then she gave it to me.

It was her email. __. I giggled.

"Such a fitting username, isn't it?" I joked. She laughed along with me. With one more awkward smile, I left the room.

"Are you really going to let us?" I heard Dad question from across the room.

"It seems your family is breaking without you. It would be best, would it not?" Aro said. Mom blinked her eyes a few times, like she was dreaming.

"Thank you, so very much Aro. We'll be in touch. Come on, Renesmee," he replied. Carrie waved back at me from Aro's side, and I smiled in response. The Cullen family said their last goodbyes, and left the castle. The _whole Cullen family. All nine members. _


	12. Far From the End

Far From the End

The ride home was the most boring thing to experience. EVER. Three planes, and fifteen-hundred miles in the car._ Exciting_. The only thing to look forward to was Jacob. And his excitement at my victory. I only had one other thing on my mind than that. What Luke had said bothered me. _"I know more than you think, mortal."_ How on Earth would he know very much about hybrids? He sure wasn't one. Maybe he was related to one? Met one?

"He was bluffing, Renesmee." Dad couldn't convince me on that, though. It was too casual, convincing. He had to have had some experience. But what? How? Who? So many oblivious questions, with such complicated answers. Or they just might be as simple as true or false. I wanted to have let him live long enough for an explanation. But that would've been his opportunity. To achieve his one goal. My death. I could see it easily. He wouldn't even have to go through the trouble of burning my body. Just shred and walk away, for the easy destruction of a hybrid! It could be a motto for a weapon. _The Hybridestructonator! Get it now, for only $39.99! _I heard Dad chuckle from the drivers seat.

The inviting green lawn was foreign to me. I hadn't been there often enough in the last year. I was used to tall alleys and crammed streets. Skyscrapers and gallerias. The house was slightly more familiar. The white walls were pretty close to the pale beige of the hotels. Only one thing was completely a relief to see: Jacob, sprawled across the white sofa watching TV. I ran up and jumped in his lap.

"So, survived the fight, did you?"

"Yeah. Actually, I took Luke down on my own. You should've seen Emmett's face when he saw the pieces already ripped apart."

"Sounds exciting."

"Yeah. Not to mention the fact that Jane apologized for hating me. I think we're actually friends now. I think."

"Wow. _Very_ interesting. Anything else?"

"Oh, Mom and Dad are back, but you probably knew that."

"Yep. Where are they, anyway?"

"Coming. Actually, should be here right about-" Then Mom walked up.

"Hey, Jacob," she said. Jacob set me on the ground as he got up to hug her. Had it really been only two years since they'd seen each other?

Well, all the "welcome backs" and "oh, it's been so longs" lasted a while. Esme made me and Jacob dinner. How is it that they could cook so well when they didn't even eat?

By the time we finished, it was already 9:00.

"Jacob, you want to take Renesmee back to the cottage?" Mom asked.

"Sure, Bells," he replied. I hadn't heard anyone call my mother by name for so long. Jake and I headed out the kitchen door.

"You know Jake, I feel like a race."

"Hmm. I was thinking the same thing." He walked into the trees to transform, and I crouched to get ready to run. We lined up, and took off. The foliage became a blur, and all I could see was the cottage, approaching quickly. Jacob beat me there by a heartbeat. One of_ my_ heartbeats.

"I so let you beat me!" I said. He just rolled his big brown eyes. Then he trotted into the trees to take his human form again.

"Right…" he said sarcastically.

The little house was dark, but the bright walls made it kind of glow. Jacob flipped the lights on, and it was alive again. I just kept walking down the hallway to my room.

"Think we should clean up a bit?" he asked. Toys and clothes were strewn across the floor.

"Probably." We sat down and started tossing stuff into the toy box. I was picking up a purple elephant when Jacob came across a leather bag. The one from a few years ago. With the fake ID's. And the money.

"You still haven't given Alice her purse back, have you?" he said, but his face soon turned solemn. He stuffed the papers back into the bag, and hung it in my closet.

"You ready for bed?" he asked. I nodded, and got up. He helped me into the sheets, then kissed my forehead.

"Love you, Jacob."

"Love you more." In reality, he probably did. Or maybe it was an equality.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_**THE END**_


End file.
